Portable field shower-bath.



W1 H. PRITCHETT.

PORTABLE FIELD SHOWER BATH.

`APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1917.

Patented Oct, 2, 1917.

I L l I I L I I l l L I |L funrrnn sanrns PATENT onnicn.

4llI`1".|lfiI,A1V.[LFI. IPRITCHETT, OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.

PORTABLE FIELD SHOWER-BATH.

,To ,all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, NVILLIAM H. Perrennam, ot' theUnited `Sta-tes Marine Corps, a citizen of `the UnitedStates, stationed at Sanchez, in the Dominican Republic,.have

inventedlicertainnew and luseful Improvements in Portable Field Shower-Baths; and

,I do hereby `declare the following to bey a full, clear, ,and-exact description of the in- .,vention, lsuchy as will `enable .others `skllled inthe art to which it appertains to make and .use the saine.

present invention relates to improvements in portable `shower ibaths, and is intended more especially to provide a portable shower bathwhch maybe conveniently car- .riedby ,troops in ,thev,eld, or by landing par- .ities from naval vessels, or for use by hunters, travelers, brothers where bathing faellltles ,are lacking.

The invention is especially adapted for use torwtroops `in the dield in warmweather, as yin campaignrn in tropical eountmes,

where ,bathing facl ities ,are lacking.

According to my invention :[providea reserxzoinpreferably 1n collapsible orm,-such I asa canvas bag, witha .Suitable :supporting i means; and. inthe bottom ofthis bag I place 1a shower. attachment, which may be readily .turned `on or ,o' by the leather, and when `not :in use .the bag may be folded .up and carried lalong withvthe-other baggage of the troops.

Under certa-in `conditions instead of a canvas bag a suitable `bucket or can .of ,any kind might be used. y

My `inventionwill bernore ully under- `stood after yreference to the .aceompanying.;-

v drawings, an wh1ch- Y Figure lshows the entire apparatus suspended from a limb vofa tree, ,parts .being broken away; y

Fig. 2; shows a `central vertical `section through the ybottom of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Figz `shows a section along the -line {3f-3 .fof Fig. `2"and,looking; down; and

elevation, the .stock and stem, respectively,

AFigs. 4 and '5 .are vdetails showing inside of the shower attachment.

Specification of Letters Patent.

\ beneath the same.

Patented Oct. `2, 1917.

`Appliaation filed July y17, 1917. i Serial 1N o. 181.131.

.In the figures l have shown. two ofsuch openings.; but one or moreinay be .used. y

,This stock, isy provided with ,an ,annular flange f7, yand ywith a screw-threaded base 8. Over this screw-.threaded base the washer 9 is screwed, clampingl the bottoni of Vthe rev-ceptacle between it ,and ,the annular flange ofthe stock; and below ,this washer9 I provldey a lock nut 10, which prevents the washer `from coming loose.

. Rotatably mounted in the chalnberh in ,thestoek is the ,tapered stem 11, which fits .snugly within said chamber, and isprovided with oneuor more perforatlons 12, two 4of y whioh are shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and which ypertorations are adapted to freglster with perforations 6 in .the stock when the stemis .y

turned through the required angle. The upper end .of the stem 13 isprei'erably made Aangular in shape `for convenience in assembling the iparts, :and the lowerend Aot the `stem is screw-thrcaded as at 14; .to engage the screw threads 15 on the neck 16 of the showerhead 17. The shower-,head is providedY with a scattering plate 18, provided with-suitable perforations 19, so that the water may be separated into a 4series of fine sprays.

` To use the inventiomsuspcnd the recep` .tacle 1 to any convenient overhead support, and at the desired height for `the bather `to ,pass beneath, preferably to stand upright The receptacle being filled withwater, and the parts being inthe positionshown in Figs, land 2, the bather `goes )beneath the shower-head 17 and by turning the same with his'hands isenabled to turn the stem 11 so that the passages 12 will wholly or partly register with the passages 6 in the stock. This will effect the flow of water from the receptacle down the stem into the shower-head whence it will spray on the bather.

`When it is desired to discontinue the act of bathing, the bather can simply twist the shower-head 1'? back to the initial position,

closing the ports l2, and cutting oif the flow 10 of water."

YWhen it is desired to pack away the device for transporting or storage, the showerhead may be either left in place, `or prefery ably the shower-head may be removed from the stem, which can be accomplished by holdingon to the head 13 with a wrench,

will be sufficient merely to put a suitable cork or stopper into the tapered chamber in the stock, when the receptacle can be used as an ordinary bucket fortransporting water, food for man or beast, or other' articles. In such case, of course, the stem and,v

shower-head would have been previously removed before the stopper was inserted in the stock. i i VWhile the apparatus would be more con- Venient for transport and storage if the receptacle were made of a waterproof canvas bag, with a shower-head attachment fastened in the bottom thereof, any suitable container for liquid may be used, such as a galvanized iron bucket, or a wooden barrel, or any other receptacle that might be available.

receptacle might be located at the desired altitude and filled with` water, or it may be lowered and filled, and then hoisted to the desired position(` i For use with troops,'smaller receptacles with corresponding shower attachments may be provided for individual ofiicers, vand larger receptacles for squads yor largerv bodies of men. s

The device wouldbe especially adapted ralsol forfbathing in arid countries where water is not found inipiools; but has to be derived from wells, or springs, or the like.

'It will be seen that I provide a cheap and simple portable shower bath appar'atus,

which is adapted to stand the rough usage incident to field service, and which may be readily putin place, if desired, and the parts y of which may be readily assembled, 0r disassembled, as desired,and in which there is :no necessityu for unnecessary waste of water. This apparatus is obviously especially Such ' the ports in the stock, the said stem having when turning pressure is yapplied thereto7 adapted foruse in tropical countries where water can be had, but where bathing facilities happen to be bad.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatus, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention. i

vHaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l.. 'A portable field shower bathcomprising a receptacle, a chambered stock projecting through the base of said receptacle and secured thereto, the said stock being provided with one or more lateral ports, a stem rotatably mounted in said stock andfhaving one or more ports adapted to register with the ports in the stock, the said stem having itsbase projecting beyond the bottom of` said stock, and a lshower-head attached to said stem below said stock and adapted to rotate said s'tem when turning pressure is applied thereto, `substantially as described.

2. A portable field shower bath comprising a receptacle, a stock having a tapered chamber therein projectingl through the vbase of said receptacle and secured thereto,

the said stock being provided with one or i 'moreilateral ports, a hollow stem inthe 95* form of a frustum of a 'cone rotatably mounted kin said stock and having `one or more ports adapted to register with the ports in the stock, the said stern having its base screw-threaded and projecting beyond the bottom of'said stock, and a shower-head screwed tight on said stein below said stock vand adapted to rotate saidV stem when turning pressurey is applied thereto, substantially as described.v n

3. A portable field shower bath comprising a collapsible receptacle, ya stockl having a tapered chamberl thereinprojecting throughthe'base of said receptacle and securedv thereto,l the said Stock being-v provided with one or more lateral ports, a` hollow stem in the form of a frustum ofacone 1 rotatably mounted `in said stock and having one or more ports adapted to register with its base screw-threaded and projecting beyond the bottom of saidstock, and a showerhead 'detachably secured to said stem below said stock and adapted to lrotate said stem substantially as described. v

4L. A` portable field shower bath comprisi ing a collapsible receptacle, a stock having a tapered chamber therein projectingl through the base of said receptacle and secured thereto, the said stock-.being provided with one or more lateral p`orts,a hollow `stem'in the form` of a frustumvof a cone rotatably mounted in Seid stock and having one or more ports adapted to register With the ports in the stock, the said stem having its base screw-threaded and projecting be- 5 yond the bottom of said stock, and a. showerheed screwed tight on said stern below said stock and adapted to rotate said stem when turning pressure is applied thereto, the said stein and shower-head being detachably oonnected to said stock, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature.

vWILLIAM H. IRITCHETT.

Copies of this 4patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

